Method and system for representing financial information in a gaming environment

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is an apparatus, method and system for procuring and analyzing information regarding the financial markets. According to further embodiments of the present invention, there may be provided a system to execute financial transactions using Internet-based frontend graphics that resembles wagering games. The system may provide a comprehensive combination of financial information and transactions in a format that facilitates known and new casino/betting like frontend graphics.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. applicationSer. No. 11/814,597, filed on Jul. 24, 2007, which application is anational phase application from PCT/IL06/00149, having an internationalfiling date of Feb. 7, 2006.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to a combination of on-linefinancial trading and on-line gaming, and in particular to a method andsystem for representing financial and securities information andfinancial transactions in a gaming environment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Today's financial online trading evolved over the last 10 years fromtraditional brokerage houses. With the rapid development and popularityof the internet, growth of electronic online trading has beenextraordinary. Nevertheless the interface of the various tradingplatforms has generally remained unchanged over the last years andrelies for the most part on the same tools that have been available inan offline format. Some on-line trading also incorporates severaltechnical analytical tools that are generally displayed upon a simpletime-line price/volume graph. Some research advancements have been madein the field of visualizing stock market data, but to this date none ofit has had significant impact on the way trading works.

Speculative day trading represents a significant share of the wholetrading industry. The online trading market offers various financialinstruments such as stocks, foreign exchange, bonds and long-termsecurities and various forms of option trading. Each of these tools hasseveral multi-billion market leaders (e.g., E-trade, Ameritrade®,Charles Schwab®, etc.).

On-line trading platforms offer the users exact financial information onsecurities or derivatives and tools to create specific transactions uponthe underlying security. These tools are generally implemented asdynamic Web-sites or downloadable software.

The transactions are in the form of buy/sell orders related to aspecific security that the user queries, and can have several purelyfinancial parameters such as stop/loss, margin, short sell etc.

The foreign exchange market (also called “forex”) is the largest andmost dynamic market. Nearly 1.8 Trillion dollars are traded everyday. Inthe foreign exchange market, the on-line retail brokers have beenincreasing market share in the overall daily turnover.

Forex brokers are firms that deal in foreign exchange. The foreignexchange market is quite similar to the equity markets, except thattypical forex brokers do not charge a commission and are required tohold a special license. Forex brokers earn money from the spread (alsocalled “pip”). The spread is the difference between the prices at whicha currency is bought and sold. A pip is the smallest price increment ina currency. For example, in Euro/US Dollar (EUR/USD), a move from 0.9008to 0.9009 is one pip. In US Dollar/Japanese Yen (USD/JPY), a move from127.41 to 127.42 is one pip. Several leading foreign exchange brokersalso offer software interfaces to automate trading, including ONADA andGain capital.

Today's online gaming industry has arisen mostly in the last 5 years.The gaming industry is divided into several market segments:

-   -   1. Classic casino games such as roulette, slot machines, black        jack, etc. (i.e.—Market Leader Casino-on-net, www.888.com)    -   2. Betting on various sport events.    -   3. Skilled and semi-skilled games such as Poker, chess and        backgammon; (i.e.—Market Leader PartyGaming)    -   4. New games.

On-line Casino games offer the user the opportunity to play a game overthe Internet. The user interface consists of games such as horse racing,slot machines, roulette and card games. All these games depend on randomvariables (excluding sport betting). The user can play the game and thegame outcome will be determined using a computer based algorithm toselect a random outcome of the game. The algorithm (also known as RandomNumbers Generator) usually has fixed odds to determine the Payoff of thegamer (and the gain of the house). For example, the slot machinesalgorithm can determine that the overall return to gamers will be 95% ofall the bets, so the house will earn 5% of all the bets.

The graphic user interface (GUI) of these games does not necessarilydepend on the random algorithm or the game outcome. For example a rollof the dice can be in a fixed manner, where only the last frame of thedice roll will represent the outcome of the random algorithm.

Although both the gaming and the trading industry rely in part onspeculation, they hold uniquely different characteristics:

-   -   1. Trading companies are regulated and require licensing, while        on-line gaming and betting have legal issues in some countries        and are considered gambling.    -   2. Most on-line trading applications have sophisticated        usability and a standard user interface mainly for informing the        user of price changes, while the on-line gaming applications are        rich in color, innovative formats and complex graphics.    -   3. Online Games have short-time durations, often less than 5        minutes per game, while on-line trading provide for longer        durations and a position that can be held for an unlimited time.    -   4. The marketing efforts and client target segments also differ.        The trading companies target and reach a financially educated        audience (Day traders) and compete over trading costs and user        functionality. The gaming industry aims at the less educated,        addictive audience.

Several companies offer the ability to place bets on the outcome ofdifferent financial instruments, often referred to as financialspread/binary betting. Financial Spread betting gives investors theopportunity to trade on the financial markets without ever takingphysical ownership of the underlying instrument. This means that thetrader can speculate in the direction of any financial instrument,whether it is specific shares, currencies, commodities or indiceswithout ever owning them. For example a trader can place a bet of $10per point on the NASDAQ, and the bet is settled as the differencebetween the purchase and the sell price multiplied by $10. Most of thesecompanies operate mainly in the UK, and are considered bettingcompanies. In the US there is no regulation for betting companies. Theuser interface of these instruments is similar to on-line trading,mostly based on dynamic web-pages and has an informative look.

The present invention recognizes the similarities between the onlinegaming and the online trading industries, and addresses the need ofusers for simpler and more appealing graphic representation of thefinancial information.

The present invention also addresses the legal issues of the on-linegaming industry, and offers gamers a regulated financial alternative fortheir gaming needs.

References cited

Gaming related

U.S. Pat. No. 3,980,307—Stock market game apparatus

U.S. Pat. No. 4,363,489—Electronic stock market terminal game

U.S. Pat. No. 5,139,269—Financial game apparatus

U.S. Pat. No. 5,934,674—Stock market game

U.S. Pat. No. 6,497,410—Trading cards for an investment game, and gameand method thereof

U.S. Pat. No. 6,839,686—Method and system for providing financialinformation and evaluating securities of a financial debt instrument

U.S. Pat. No. 6,890,179—Interactive games for teaching financialprinciples

U.S. Pat. No. 6,884,170—Method and apparatus for graphically portrayinggaming environment and information regarding components thereof.

A method and apparatus for providing a graphical representation of agaming environment and for providing information regarding individualcomponents located in the environment is provided. A graphical userinterface displays a graphical representation of at least a portion of agaming environment, such as a graphical representation of individualcomponents of a gaming system and their surrounding physicalenvironment. The components are graphically portrayed in positionscorresponding to the relative positions of the actual components of thegaming system. By selecting a graphically represented component,information regarding the actual gaming system component which isrepresented is provided, such as by display in a window associated withthe graphical user interface. Gaming system component or otherinformation may be obtained via a communication link from thosecomponents.

Financial trading related prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 6,709,330,Stock Simulation Engine for an Options Trading Game, which discloses anoptions simulation engine for an options trading game. The presentinvention comprises a game engine for keeping track of game time andgame settings, an options market simulator for providing a real-worldoptions trading environment, and a portfolio manager engine for keepingtrack of a player's portfolio. The options market simulator comprises abasic stock price generator for moving stock prices, a news/rumorgenerator for moving stock prices, and an options pricing generator forpricing options. The portfolio manager comprises an availablecash/minimum balance mechanism for determining how much a player ischarged for buying and/or selling options and stocks, and formaintaining a player's positions, a risk analysis mechanism fordetermining the amount of money a player can lose for any given stock oroption, a margin requirements mechanism for keeping track of the minimumequity required in a player's account to support the player's totalinvestment position, a profit and loss mechanism for determining aplayer's profit and loss throughout the game and on a weekly basis, anda trading rules/limitations mechanism that prevents a player frombreaking a trading rule or exceeding a limitation during game play.

Other prior art includes:

U.S. Pat. No. 6,390,472, a Pseudo-Commodities Interactive FuturesTrading Game;

U.S. Pat. No. 6,347,307, a System and Method for Conducting Web-basedFinancial Transactions in Capital Markets; and

U.S. Pat. No. 6,249,770, which discloses a Method and System ofFinancial Spreading and Forecasting.

US pat. Application No 20050197938 A System and Method for DeterminingOdds for Wagering in a Financial Market Environment. This patent mainlydiscloses a means to protect the way of determining odds.

US pat. Application No 20050027643 A System and Method for WageringBased on the Movement of Financial Markets. This invention providescreation of financial-like instruments that are determined by casinogames. I.e., a “stock” is created, wherein the price is determined bythe movements of casino games.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to some embodiments of the present invention, a server maycomprise a communication module which may be adapted to transmit to aclient application actual financial data (e.g. information relating tothe value or change in value of a commodity, financial instrument,currency, etc.) suitable for rendering an aspect of one or more gamingelements within a gaming environment generated by the clientapplication, such as a gaming environment having the look and feel of acasino-like game or other games which may be wager related. Variousrendered aspects of the gaming environment and gaming elements with theenvironment may be based on actual financial information relating tofinancial instruments such as, but not limited to, securities,currencies, commodities futures, or any derivative thereof. According tofurther embodiments of the present invention, the gaming environment maybe any gaming environment known today or to be derived in the future,such as, but not limited to: slot machines; roulettes; dice games;racing; horse racing; card games; Black jack; and Poker.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, one or more ofthe gaming elements may be associated with one or more actual financialinstruments, and the transmitted data may be derived from financialinformation associated with the at least one actual financialinstrument. According to further embodiments of the present invention,for different actual financial instruments different correspondingderivations of data may be used. For example: wherein the actualfinancial instrument is a currency, the transmitted data may be derivedfrom a currency ratio exchange rates; wherein the actual financialinstrument is a stock, the transmitted data may be derived from eitheran ask or a bid price relating to the stock; and so forth.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the actual oneor more financial instruments may be selected from, but is not limitedto, a group comprising: traded securities; traded bonds; traded stocks;tradable financial derivatives; market indices (such as ASDAQ, FTSE, DOW. . . ); foreign exchange financial instruments comprising at least oneof spot, forward and futures; and commodity financial instrumentscomprising at least one of spot, forward, and futures.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, thecommunication module may be adapted to transmit data related to one ormore actual financial instruments, thereby providing a rendering aspectfor one or more gaming elements associated with the one or more actualfinancial instruments. The transmitted data may comprise financialinformation describing any market data such as pricing, volume, ask/bidprices, market data indicators which are mathematical transformations ofother market data, technical indicators which are the product ofstatistical predictions or suggestions, or any market data indicator ofstocks, currencies, ratios, securities, derivatives or other financialinstrument. Furthermore, it may be associated with a rendering aspect ofthe one or more gaming elements such as, but not limited to, screenposition, velocity, shape and coloration. The client application mayrender the one or more gaming elements, or other aspects of the gamingenvironment, based on the information received from the server.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, thecommunication module may be further adapted to receive from the clientapplication a detected user interaction, associated with a given gamingelement which may in turn, initiate a transaction with the actualfinancial instrument with which the given gaming element is associated.The initiated transaction may be based on the detected interaction,wherein different detected interactions may correspond to differenttransactions.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the gamingenvironment may comprise a game logic and a graphical user interfaceusing graphics representation of financial information related to one ormore of the actual financial instruments. The game logic may ‘translate’the financial information from the actual financial one or moreinstruments, into rendered aspects of elements within the gamingenvironment. Furthermore, the game logic algorithms may ‘translate’ userinteractions associated with given gaming elements or gaming elements'aspects into transaction initiation signaling adapted to initiate atransaction with a corresponding actual financial instruments with whichthe given elements or aspects are associated. The actual calculatedfinancial outcome (e.g. Profit/Loss), from each transaction initiated bythe user's interaction with the one or more gaming elements may be‘translated’ into an improvement or deterioration of a gaming elements(e.g. horse in a race) position or condition within the gamingenvironment.

The term financial instrument is used to describe any financial securityor derivative that might be traded on a financial exchange, for examplecompany stocks or bonds, market indices (such as NASDAQ, FTSE, DOW . . .), commodities (Gold, Silver and other common and less commoncommodities), foreign exchange rates (EUR/USD, GBP/USD and any othercurrency pair). The term financial information is used to describe themarket data such as price, volume, ask/bid and any market data indicatorof stocks, currencies, ratios, securities, derivatives and any otherfinancial instrument.

The term financial game is used to describe a game logic and graphicrepresentation of financial information of several financialinstruments. The game logic includes the translation of the financialinformation to graphic elements, the algorithms and logic to translatethe user game action to financial transactions, and the algorithm usedfor calculating the user Profit/Loss from the financial game.

It is an another object of some embodiments of the present invention toembody the concept of users playing a betting and/or casino game(racing, roulette, etc.), wherein the outcome is determined by themovements of financial markets (currencies, exchanges etc).

It is another object of some embodiments of the present invention toprovide a graphically rich, colorful and engaging environment of thegaming world translated using computer algorithms to financialinformation and transactions.

It is a further object of some embodiments of the present invention tocombine several financial instruments to create a very short timeprofit/Loss model, which depends on the movement of several securities.For example, one might assume that during the next trading minute thedollar will move higher relative several other currencies. The user cantrade a short time trade on the dollar and gain any changes relative toother currencies in the following minute.

The present invention may include various methods and systems forgraphically representing a gaming environment using financialinformation. Optional and alternative embodiments of the presentinvention include methods and systems for providing transaction toolsthat create financial transactions through graphical representation ofthe gaming environment.

An embodiment of the invention may include a graphical user interfacefor displaying a graphical representation of financial information in agaming environment, such as horse racing, slot machines, roulette sportbetting, card games or any other known or new gaming system.

An embodiment of the invention may include a module to calculate theevaluation of fixed micro-time scaled (such as 1, 5, 10, 15 minutes andmore) options to evaluate the risk of the trade and the commission andmargin level of the user. For example, consider an option for buying$100K EUR/USD Spot for 1 minute at market prices. Since the user takesthe risk for only 1 minute, its premium should be lower than a regularlong-term position.

An embodiment of the invention may include a financial server to collectthe transactions of the financial game. The financial server can then beused to aggregate the order flow of the financial transactions andremove opposite trades (a buy and sell transaction of the same financialinstrument can be disregarded), to reduce the actual financialtransactions costs for the company.

The invention may also include computer algorithms for translatingfinancial information to graphic coordinates and parameters that canthen be displayed as a game on a graphical user interface (GUI). Thesystem receives user actions related to the game, then translates theuser game actions into financial transactions and sends thesetransactions to a financial transaction server for execution.

In an exemplary embodiment, the game graphics and application reside onthe user computer, and send specific commands to the financial-gamingserver game over a communications link, such as a voice protocol network(VPN), a dial-up modem, the Internet or any communication link betweenthe user computer and the financial-gaming server.

A few financial games are described below as non-limiting examples:

Forex Racing: The game has a horse racing look and feel with each horserepresenting a country's specific currency (Dollar $, Euro E, GBP,etc.). The race starts at a specific time and all the horses(currencies) are at the same starting point. When the race starts themovement of each horse is related to the relative currency movement. Forexample if the USD rose during the game in relation to all othercurrencies, then the USD horse will be leading the race. The gameplayers can bet on which horse will win, or on the order of the winninghorses (first second and third places). After choosing their bet theycan watch displays of their possible gains from their bet and the betcost. The game action is then translated to a market position usingunique algorithms that hedge the player bet to options on thecurrencies. When the race ends the winners are announced, and theprofit/loss is calculated and announced to all the game participants.

For example, a forex race can have the following attributes:1. Currencies in the game (for example USD, EUR and GBP)2. Duration of the Race (for example 1 minute).3. The user can select the amount he wants to trade on the financialgame (for example $100) and currencies he thinks will win the race (forexample, the USD).

The user action can then be translated to a financial transaction thatwill correspond with the user selection: For example, sell $20K ofEUR/USD Spot for 1.2000 (the market Bid quote), and sell $20K GBP/USDfor 1.7000. The total amount is $100K, which represents a 1:400 marginthat the race offers (some foreign exchange brokers offer margins of1:400 in their on-line trading). The commissions of the transaction canbe deducted from the user amount. During the race, the user can see the3 horses that represent USD, EUR and GBP move in correspondence to themovement of the currency rates. The user can also view the profitchanging during the race that corresponds to his trade and the currentprices of the financial transactions. At the end of the race, forexample, if the EURIUSD ask price is 1.2005, and the GBP ask price is1.7005, then the user has a profit of 0.0005*20K+0.0005*20K=$20. Theuser account balance is then awarded $20. The user can select differentraces on different currencies, and different race durations. Useractions can be accepted at the beginning of the race or during the race.

The horse race can also be represented in any other racing form, such asgreyhounds, race cars or any other suitable racing appearance. Thehorses can also represent any other financial instrument such ascompanies' stocks, which can be hedged using stock options, or differentcommodities. A virtual race can represent any possible relation betweenvarious securities.

Another example of a financial game can be Stock Machine or ForexMachine: The game looks like a typical virtual Slot machine, where eachsymbol is replaced either by a currency or a company Symbol. Each reelis defined to have a different set of symbols. Certain combinations oftwo or more identical symbols that come to a stop at the horizontal lineare defined as a winning bet. For example, one reel can represent foodindustry companies, another represents technological companies and thethird represents apparel companies. A match is defined prior to the gameand the reels stops at the highest mover during the spinning time of themachine. Again, winning bets and odds are calculated prior to the game,and the different possibilities of the game are numerous.

Another example of a financial game can be Market/Forex Roulette: Thegame looks like a Casino roulette game. It can have any amount ofnumbers or 37 just as in a real roulette. Each number corresponds to afinancial instrument or a combination of several financial instruments.The roulette wheel starts to spin, financial instrument price changesduring the duration of the game are monitored and the wheel stops at thenumber that rose the most during the spinning time. For example if theroulette wheel has stocks illustrated on the table such as Microsoft,IBM, Apple, etc., and during the spin of the wheel Microsoft's Stockwent up the most then, the ball stops on the Microsoft symbol or numberand Microsoft stock is considered the winning number. The winning betsare distributed according to the financial prices of the underlyingsecurities at the end of the game.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to understand the invention and to see how it may be carriedout in practice, a preferred embodiment will now be described, by way ofnon-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings,in which:

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram graphically representing an exemplary gamingenvironment and translating the gaming graphics and actions to financialinformation and transaction;

FIG. 2 is an exemplary system architecture diagram representing howmultiple clients can play multiple games, deposit money and maketransactions;

FIG. 3 is an exemplary graphic display of a GUI of a horse racing gamethat relates to the changes in several currencies; and

FIG. 4 is an exemplary graphic display a GUI of a slot machine thatrelates to the movement in prices of several stocks.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT

In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are setforth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention.However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that thepresent invention may be practiced without these specific details. Inother instances, well-known methods, procedures, components and circuitshave not been described in detail so as not to obscure the presentinvention.

Unless specifically stated otherwise, as apparent from the followingdiscussions, it is appreciated that throughout the specificationdiscussions utilizing terms such as “processing”, “computing”,“calculating”, “determining”, or the like, refer to the action and/orprocesses of a computer or computing system, or similar electroniccomputing device, that manipulate and/or transform data represented asphysical, such as electronic, quantities within the computing system'sregisters and/or memories into other data similarly represented asphysical quantities within the computing system's memories, registers orother such information storage, transmission or display devices.

Embodiments of the present invention may include apparatuses forperforming the operations herein. This apparatus may be speciallyconstructed for the desired purposes, or it may comprise a generalpurpose computer selectively activated or reconfigured by a computerprogram stored in the computer. Such a computer program may be stored ina computer readable storage medium, such as, but is not limited to, anytype of disk including floppy disks, optical disks, CD-ROMs,magnetic-optical disks, read-only memories (ROMs), random accessmemories (RAMs) electrically programmable read-only memories (EPROMs),electrically erasable and programmable read only memories (EEPROMs),magnetic or optical cards, or any other type of media suitable forstoring electronic instructions, and capable of being coupled to acomputer system bus.

The processes and displays presented herein are not inherently relatedto any particular computer or other apparatus. Various general purposesystems may be used with programs in accordance with the teachingsherein, or it may prove convenient to construct a more specializedapparatus to perform the desired method. The desired structure for avariety of these systems will appear from the description below. Inaddition, embodiments of the present invention are not described withreference to any particular programming language. It will be appreciatedthat a variety of programming languages may be used to implement theteachings of the inventions as described herein.

Terms in this application relating to distributed data networking, suchas send or receive, may be interpreted in reference to Internet protocolsuite, which is a set of communications protocols that implement theprotocol stack on which the Internet and most commercial networks run.It has also been referred to as the TCP/IP protocol suite, which isnamed after two of the most important protocols in it: the TransmissionControl Protocol (TCP) and the Internet Protocol (IP), which were alsothe first two networking protocols defined. Today's IP networkingrepresents a synthesis of two developments that began in the 1970s,namely LANs (Local Area Networks) and the Internet, both of which haverevolutionized computing.

The Internet Protocol suite—like many protocol suites—can be viewed as aset of layers. Each layer solves a set of problems involving thetransmission of data, and provides a well-defined service to the upperlayer protocols based on using services from some lower layers. Upperlayers are logically closer to the user and deal with more abstractdata, relying on lower layer protocols to translate data into forms thatcan eventually be physically transmitted. The TCP/IP reference modelconsists of four layers.

Layers in the Internet Protocol suite

The IP suite uses encapsulation to provide abstraction of protocols andservices. Generally a protocol at a higher level uses a protocol at alower level to help accomplish its aims. The Internet protocol stack hasnever been altered, by the IETF, from the four layers defined in RFC1122. The IETF makes no effort to follow the seven-layer OSI model anddoes not refer to it in standards-track protocol specifications andother architectural documents.

4. Application DNS, TFTP, TLS/SSL, FTP, Gopher, HTTP, IMAP, IRC, NNTP,POP3, SIP, SMTP, SNMP, SSH, TELNET, ECHO, RTP, PNRP, rlogin, ENRPRouting protocols like BGP, which for a variety of reasons run over TCP,may also be considered part of the application or network layer. 3.Transport TCP, UDP, DCCP, SCTP, IL, RUDP 2. Internet Routing protocolslike OSPF, which run over IP, are also to be considered part of thenetwork layer, as they provide path selection. ICMP and IGMP run over IPand are considered part of the network layer, as they provide controlinformation. IP (IPv4, IPv6) ARP and RARP operate underneath IP butabove the link layer so they belong somewhere in between. 1. NetworkEthernet, Wi-Fi, token ring, PPP, SLIP, FDDI, ATM, access Frame Relay,SMDS

Some textbooks have attempted to map the Internet Protocol suite modelonto the seven layer OSI Model. The mapping often splits the InternetProtocol suite's Network access layer into a Data link layer on top of aPhysical layer, and the Internet layer is mapped to the OSI's Networklayer. These textbooks are secondary sources that contravene the intentof RFC1122 and other IETF primary sources. The IETF has repeatedlystated that Internet protocol and architecture development is notintended to be OSI-compliant.

RFC3439, on Internet architecture, contains a section entitled:“Layering Considered Harmful”: Emphasizing layering as the key driver ofarchitecture is not a feature of the TCP/IP model, but rather of OSI.Much confusion comes from attempts to force OSI-like layering onto anarchitecture that minimizes their use. Today, most commercial operatingsystems include and install the TCP/IP stack by default. For most users,there is no need to look for implementations. TCP/IP is included in allcommercial Unix systems, Mac OS X, and all free-software Unix-likesystems such as Linux distributions and BSD systems, as well asMicrosoft Windows.

Unique implementations include Lightweight TCP/IP, an open source stackdesigned for embedded systems and KA9Q NOS, a stack and associatedprotocols for amateur packet radio systems and personal computersconnected via serial lines.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, mobile devicesmay connect with and access data from an enterprise data system over acommunication network at some portion of which may be a wirelessnetwork. While the term wireless network may technically be used torefer to any type of network that is wireless, the term is most commonlyused to refer to a telecommunications network whose interconnectionsbetween nodes is implemented without the use of wires, such as acomputer network (which is a type of communications network). Wirelesstelecommunications networks are generally implemented with some type ofremote information transmission system that uses electromagnetic waves,such as radio waves, for the carrier and this implementation usuallytakes place at the physical level or “layer” of the network. (Forexample, see the Physical Layer of the OSI Model). Various wirelesstechnologies and standards existing, including:

-   -   1. Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM): The GSM        network is divided into three major systems which are the        switching system, the base station system, and the operation and        support system (Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM)).        The cell phone connects to the base system station which then        connects to the operation and support station; it then connects        to the switching station where the call is transferred where it        needs to go (Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM)). This        is used for cellular phones, is the most common standard and is        used for a majority of cellular providers.    -   2. Personal Communications Service (PCS): PCS is a radio band        that can be used by mobile phones in North America. Sprint        happened to be the first service to set up a PCS.    -   3. D-AMPS: D-AMPS, which stands for Digital Advanced Mobile        Phone Service, is an upgraded version of AMPS but it is being        phased out due to advancement in technology. The newer GSM        networks are replacing the older system.    -   4. Wireless MAN—metropolitan area network.    -   5. Wireless LAN—local area networks.    -   6. Wireless PAN—personal area networks.    -   7. GSM—Global standard for digital mobile communication, common        in most countries except South Korea and Japan.    -   8. PCS—Personal communication system—not a single standard, this        covers both CDMA and GSM networks operating at 1900 MHz in North        America.    -   9. Mobitex—pager-based network in the USA and Canada, built by        Ericsson, now used by PDAs such as the Palm VII and Research in        Motion BlackBerry.    -   10. GPRS—General Packet Radio Service, upgraded packet-based        service within the GSM framework, gives higher data rates and        always-on service.    -   11. UMTS—Universal Mobile Telephone Service (3rd generation cell        phone network), based on the W-CDMA radio access network.    -   12. AX.25—amateur packet radio.    -   13. NMT—Nordic Mobile Telephony, analog system originally        developed by PTTs in the Nordic countries.    -   14. AMPS—Advanced Mobile Phone System introduced in the Americas        in about 1984.    -   15. D-AMPS—Digital AMPS, also known as TDMA.    -   16. Wi-Fi—Wireless Fidelity, widely used for Wireless LAN, and        based on IEEE 802.11 standards.    -   17. Wimax—A solution for BWA (Broadband Wireless Access) and        conforms to IEEE 802.16 standard.    -   18. Canopy—A wide-area broadband wireless solution from        Motorola.

The principles and operation of a method and a system according to thepresent invention may be better understood with reference to thedrawings and the accompanying description, it being understood thatthese drawings are given for illustrative purposes only and are notmeant to be limiting.

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram graphically representing a gaming environmentand translation of the gaming graphics and actions to financialinformation and transactions. The graphic user interface (GUI) 115 of auser computer 110 displays a game, such as a slot, roulette or horseracing. User computer 110 communicates via the Internet 120, forexample, sending user game actions and queries 131 to a financial gamingserver 130, and receiving user game graphic information 132 fromfinancial game server 130. Financial game server 130 thus translatesuser game information into and from financial information. Financialgame server 130 is also in communication with a financial transactionserver 140, sending financial transactions 141 and receiving marketdata, financial information and securities prices 142, for example.Financial transaction server 140 thus executes financial transactions141 and delivers market data, etc. 142.

FIG. 2 is a system architecture diagram representing how multipleclients can play multiple games, deposit money and make transactions.Two clients 210 and 220 are simultaneously playing game 1 211 and game 2222, respectively. A financial server 230 coordinates games 211 and 22with trade services 231-233 and a financial data base 235. A customerrelations management 240 operates a call center having access to ahistory data base server 250, a history data base 251, a user's database server 260 and a user's data base 261.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary graphic display of a GUI of a horse racing gamethat relates to the rate changes of several currencies. Exchange ratechange is shown for various currencies 320 with corresponding flags 310and gain values 330. A horse and jockey 340 are shown moving from leftto right. The distance from left to right is proportional to theappropriate exchange rate. The initial amount of investment 360 is shownwith the user's selected currency 370 and the current profit 380.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary graphic display of a GUI of a slot machine thatrelates to the movement in prices of several stocks. The three wheelseach show logos for Hewlitt-Packard 410, IBM 420 and DELL 430. A windowat the top shows a jackpot amount 440.

It is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employedherein are for the purpose of description, and should not be regarded aslimiting.

It is important, therefore, that the scope of the invention is notconstrued as being limited by the illustrative embodiments set forthherein. Other variations are possible within the scope of the presentinvention as defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.

1. A method of interfacing with a financial instrument transactionsystem, said method comprising: rendering on a display of an electronicdevice a gaming environment including a gaming background and one ormore gaming elements, wherein each of the one or more gaming elements isassociated with at least one actual financial instrument and whereinrendering of an aspect of the gaming element is a function ofinformation received about the at least one financial instrument.
 2. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein the received information isfinancial information about the at least one actual financialinstrument, and further comprising rendering the aspect of the gamingelement associated with the at least one actual financial instrumentaccording to the received financial information.
 3. The method accordingto claim 2, wherein the rendered aspect of the gaming element isselected from the group consisting of screen position, velocity, shapeand coloration.
 4. The method according to claim 2, further comprisingreceiving financial data about at least two actual financial instrumentsand rendering an aspect of each gaming element associated with each ofthe at least two actual financial instruments according to the receivedfinancial data.
 5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the renderedaspect of each of the gaming element is selected from the groupconsisting of relative screen position, relative velocity, shape andcoloration.
 6. The method of claim 2, wherein financial informationreceived about the at least one actual financial instrument relates topricing of the at least one financial instrument.
 7. The method of claim7, wherein the information includes ask/bid prices of the at least onefinancial instrument.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the informationreceived about the at least one financial instrument comprise a marketdata indicator which is a mathematical transformations of pricingrelating to the at least one actual financial instrument.
 9. The methodof claim 7, wherein the information received about the at least onefinancial instrument comprise is a technical indicator which isstatistical prediction/suggestion for the future pricing movementrelating to the at least one actual financial instrument.
 10. The methodaccording to claim 2, wherein the actual financial instrument isselected from the group consisting of: a traded security; a traded bond;a traded stock; a tradable financial derivative; a foreign exchangefinancial instrument comprising at least one of spot, forward andfutures; and a commodity financial instruments comprising at least oneof spot, forward, and futures.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein theactual financial instrument is a currency and the received financialinformation is a currency ratios.
 12. The method of claim 10, whereinthe actual financial instrument is a stock, and the received financialinformation is either ask or bid brick for the stock.
 13. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the gaming environment is selected from the groupconsisting of slot machines; roulette; dice games; racing; horse racing;card games; Blackjack; and Poker.
 14. The method according to claim 2,further comprising detecting a user interaction with an interfaceelement associated with a given gaming element and transmitting to thefinancial instrument transaction system transaction instructionscorresponding to the detected interaction.
 15. An electronic devicecomprising: a display; a communication module; and a processor adaptedto render on said display a gaming environment including a gamingbackground and one or more gaming elements, wherein each of the one ormore gaming elements is associated with at least one actual financialinstrument and wherein rendering of an aspect of the gaming element is afunction of information received through said communication module aboutthe at least one financial instrument.
 16. The electronic deviceaccording to claim 15, wherein the actual financial instrument isselected from the group consisting of: a traded security; a traded bond;a traded stock; a tradable financial derivative; a foreign exchangefinancial instrument comprising at least one of spot, forward andfutures; and a commodity financial instruments comprising at least oneof spot, forward, and futures.
 17. The electronic device according toclaim 15, wherein the gaming environment is selected from the groupconsisting of slot machines; roulette; dice games; racing; horse racing;card games; Blackjack; and Poker.
 18. The electronic device according toclaim 15, wherein the rendered aspect of the gaming element is selectedfrom the group consisting of screen position, velocity, shape andcoloration.
 19. The electronic device according to claim 15, furthercomprising a user interface adapted to detect a user interaction with aninterface element associated with a given gaming element.
 20. Theelectronic device according to claim 19, wherein said communicationmodule is adapted to transmit to the financial instrument transactionsystem transaction instructions corresponding to detected userinteraction.